Recording device for cash registers, accounting machines, and the like



A. KLAAR Aug. 25, 1953 RECORDING DEVICE FOR CASH REGISTERS, ACCOUNTING MACHINES. AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 16, 1949 mwwv: omNNa Uncoo| Inventor:

Patented Aug. 25, 1953 RECORDING DEVICE FOR CASH REGISTERS, ACCOUNTING MACHINES, AND THE LIKE Albert Klaar, Bielefeld, Germany, assignor to Anker-Werke, A. G., Bielefeld, Germany, a corporation of Germany Application August 16, 1949, Serial No. 110,628 In Germany October 1, 1948 6 Claims.

The invention relates to recording devices for cash registers, accounting machines and similar machinery.

As a rule, the recording tape of such machines, though visible, is inaccessibly covered to prevent tampering with the listed data.

There are also machines that permit entering notations through a write-in window onto the tape beneath or beside the individual lines of recorded data. In such devices, however, the listing is not tamper-proof if the last printed amount also appears in the write-in window. Those known machines that permit writing a notation beside the recorded amount keep the printed amounts inaccessible, while the write-in place of the tape is permanently open. This, of course, requires a correspondingly wider recording tape and hence increases the space requirements of the equipment.

It is an object of the invention to provide tape accommodating means that afford the space economy of narrow-tape devices and permit placing notations underneath the last listed amounts while also securing the advantage of tamper-proof listings heretofore only obtained with wide-tape devices.

To this end, and in accordance with one of the features of the invention, a write-in place is normally closed and can be opened, to render the tape accessible for notations, by a preferably key-locked cover device. According to another feature of the invention, the just-mentioned cover device is controlled by the machine mechanism so that the write-in place of the tape is accessible only after the performance of predetermined machine operations such as the registering of paid-out amounts or credit transactions.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawing, in which Fig. 1 shows a cross section through a recording device, Fig. 2 a portion of the appertaining tape, and Fig. 3 is a detail of the keyboard mechanism pertaining to the same device.

According to Fig. 1, the recording tape I passes from a spool 3, revolvable on a shaft 2, over a guide rail 4 to a roller 5 whose shaft 6 is mounted on the frame Structure of the printing mechanism. Thence, the tape I extends over a roller 1 which is revolvable on a pin 9 mounted on the upper end of a lever 8. From roller 1, the tape proceeds toward the right over the top of a sleeve I8. Sleeve I has arms II which carry at their front end a holder I2 for a printing platen I3 to cooperate with a number of coaxially aligned type wheels, such as the one shown at I3. From sleeve I 0, the recording tape passes over a roller I4 and along the platen I3 to a roller I5 from which it turns upwardly over a roller I8 and then to the left around a roller I1 which is revolvable on a shaft I8 mounted on the frame structure of the printing mechanism. Thence, the tape passes over a roller I9 which is revolvable on a pin 20 mounted on the lever 8' substantially in parallel relation to the pin 9 of roller 1. From roller I9 the tape reaches a revolvable receiving spool 2I whose shaft 22 is mounted on the frame of the printing mechanism.

A transparent cover composed of two panes 23, 24 is provided in the upper part of the housing 5D of the apparatus so that several lines of printed data on the portion of the tape between rollers I6 and I1 are visible to the operator. The pane 24 is displaceable in a guiding frame 25 and equipped with a lug 26. Pivoted on lug 26 is the end 21 of a rod 2B whose other end 29 is linked to an arm 30. Arm 30 is revolvably mounted on a shaft 3| and has an eX- tension 3'2 into which a pin 33 is riveted. In a given position of arm 30, the pin 33 is engageable with a recess 34 of a revolvable lifting cam 35 mounted on a shaft 36. Arm 3D cooperates with a pin 31 which is riveted into one arm 38 of a double-armed lever. The other armV 39 of this lever carries a pawl 4I biased by a spring -48 into engagement with a ratchet gear 42 for driving the receiving spool 2I.

Arm 3U also carries, riveted thereto, a pin 43 engageable with two cam notches 44 of a cam pawl 46 under the bias of a spring 45. Cam pawl 46 is pivoted on the above-mentioned shaft 6.

The upper part of arm 30 is designed as a lock 41 to be actuated by a key 48 which, when inserted, passes through a guiding slot 49 in the housing 5D of the printing apparatus.

The printing tape I is supported underneath pane 24 by a flat part 5I of the holder I2 for the printing platen I3. At the beginning of a machine performance, the recording tape must be moved back to such an extent that the last printed amount moves from its position behind the window pane 24 to underneath the printing platen I3. This return displacement of the tape is produced by a counterclockwise movement of the lever 8 which carries the two rollers 'l and I 9. This lever is revolvable on a shaft 52 mounted on the frame structure of the printing mechanism. The lower end 53 of lever 8 is bifurcated and straddles the rounded end of an arm 54 which is revolvable about a shaft 55. The lower end of arm e carries a roller 5t engaging the cam groove 5l of a cam disc 59, mounted on a shaft 58. It will be recognized that when lever 8 turns counterclockwise under control by the justfmentioned mechanism, the appertaining rollers and is move to the left. The total length of the tape i between the supply spool 3 and the receiving spool El is not affected by the shifting of the two rollers. However, the loop of tape material extending from spool 3 around roller i9 to roller il becomes shorter, and the loop of tape around roller l is lengthcned. As a result, the portion of tape extending from roller Il over support 5i and around the printing device to roller iii is shifted toward the left so that the amount last printed on the tape and previously located and visible underneath the pane 2d is retracted toward the printing place in order to have the next printed line appear Suioiently close to the one next to be printed.

The write-in mechanism operates as follows:

Near the end of a machine operation, the amount last printed on the tape is transferred from the printing place near platen i3 to the window position. above part 5i. In this position, the last printed amount and several of the previously printed amounts are visible to the operator. If special transactions are involved, for instance, payments or credits, it is often desirable to mark such transactions on the tape by special annotations. 'Io do this, the operator, in most cases the proprietor of the store, inserts the key 48 through the slot 49 into the lock All. Only after opening the lock can the arm 3i) is moved. IThe operator now displaces the arm clockwise. As a result, the tape is moved one step by means of lever arms 38, 3e, pin 3l, and pawl il so that a blank space moves into the write-in space above part 5i. Together with the displacement of the tape, the pane 2d is moved by rod 28 to the open position. Now, the operator can write a notation on the tape above the last printed item, as is exemplied by the script entries shown on the portion of the tape illustrated in Fig. 2. After entering the notation, the operator moves the arm is back into the illustrated rest position and thereby closes the write-in opening. The tape is then ready for printing the amount next to be registered.

If the operator removes his key i3 from lock 4l but neglects to return the arm 3i), the lifting cam 35 takes care of automatically resetting the arm 3b to its rest position at the beginning of the next machine operation and locks the arm 3Q in this position for the duration of the machine operation.

During the normal machine operation, the displacement of the tape from the visible position to the printing position and vice versa is eifected in the known manner by the reciprocating movement of the lever 8. Lever 8 is driven by lever 54 under control by cam 59 whose shaft 58 is actuated by the same control mechanism (not shown) that also actuates the shaft of the printing platen and the shaft St. In addition to cam 35, another similarly operating cam Eii may be provided to automatically move the lever 35i intoI the window opening position when the machine performs predetermined operations at which the shaft 35 of cam 35 is actuated by the machine mechanism; then the lever 3@ actuated by the control cam @il need not be accessible for manual operation. Cam iis is engageable with a pin 6i mounted on a slider 52. The slider has an elongated hole t3 traversed by the shaft 64 of cam es so that the slider can shift along the shaft. Slider 62 has a bifurcated end 65 whose fork opening 65 is engageable with pin 33 of arm 36. A spring el normally biases the slider 62 to the illustrated position in which the slider is disengaged from pin S3. A coupling spring es connects the slider d2 with a link 'is pivoted to a lever ll. Another link l2 connects the lever ii with an arm 'i3 which connects the linkage with the customary transfer slider is of the pay-out key l5 and credit key 'Hi of the keyboard mechanism. Another slider il of the keyboard mechanism locks the keys "l5, 'i6 in the depressed position till completion of a machine operation, as is well known and customary in machines of this type.

When either one of keys 'l5 and 'l is depressed by the operator, the linkage i3, l2, ll, l, 52 causes the bifurcated end 65 of slider 62 to move upwardly, thus causing the bifurcated end E55 of slider E2 to straddle the pin s3. As a result, the lever 3i! becomes linked to the slider 52 and controllable by the slider pin El. Near the end of the machine operation, the cam lili, turning counterclockwise, hits the pin tl and moves the slider 52 to the left so that lever 3i! is shifted to open the write-in window. rThe write-in place remains open until the next machine is started. rhen, cam 35 and pin 33 are effective, as described, to reclose the window.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that devices according to the invention can be modied in various respects, and may be embodied by structural means other than those specifically exemplified in this disclosure, without departing from the gist of the invention and within the scope of its essential features as set forth in the claims annexed hereto.

I claim:

l. A recording device for cash registers, accounting machines and the like, comprising a tape mechanism disposed for accommodating an inscribable record tape and forming a path of travel for the tape, printing means disposed at a given location of said path and having a type alignment at a right angle to said path for printing lines of data across the tape, said tape mechanism comprising tape shift means for moving the last printed line from said location to another location of said path, housing means en- ;closing said path to keep the tape normally inaccessible and having a movable cover portion normally locked in closed position and movable to open position, said cover portion being dis- .posed along said path at said other location, a

movable cover-operating member linked with said cover portion for moving it between said closed and open positions, said member being connected with said tape shift means for shifting the tape along said path to expose when said cover portion is in said open position a blank space on the tape longitudinally adjacent to the last printed line.

location of said path, housing means enclosing said path to keep the tape normally inaccessible land having a transparent cover portion normally locked in closed position and movable longitudinally of the tape into open position when unlocked, said cover portion, when in closed position, being disposed at said other location and above the last printed line, a manually operable member linked with said cover portion for moving it between said closed and open positions, said member being connected with said tape mechanism for shifting the tape along s-aid path to expose when said cover portion is in said open position a blank space on the tape longitudinally adjacent to the last printed line.

3. A recording device for cash registers, accounting machines and the like, comprising a tape feed mechanism for accommodating a record tape, said mechanism having a given path of tape feed movement, printing means disposed at a given printing location of said path for recording at said location a line of data across the tape, said mechanism having tape shift means for moving the printed line from said printing location to another location of said path, housing means enclosing said path and having near said other location an opening above said path to expose a write-in space on the tape, a cover normally closing said opening to normally keep said space inaccessible and being movable to an open position, selective register operation control means, and a mechanism linking said cover with said control means for opening said cover in response to a predetermined register operation.

4. A recording device for business machines, v

comprising a tape mechanism disposed for accommodating an inscribable record tape and forming a path of -travel for the tape, printing means disposed at a given location of said path across the tape, said tape mechanism comprising tape shift means for moving the last printed line from said location to another location of said path, housing means enclosing said path `to keep the tape normally inaccessible and having a movable cover portion normally locked in closed position and movable to open position, said cover portion being disposed along said path at said other location, selectively actuable register operation control means, a mechanism having a movable member linked With said cover portion for moving said cover portion between said positions, and cam means connected with said operation control means to be controlled thereby and engageable with said member for automatically moving said member to cover-opening position in response to a predetermined operation selected by said control means.

5. A recording device for cash registers, accounting machines and the like, comprising a tape feed mechanism for accommodating a record tape, said mechanism having a given path of tape feed movement, printing means disposed at a given printing location of said path for recording at said location a line of data across the tape, said mechanism having tape shift means for moving the printed line from said printing location to another location of said path, housing means enclosing said path and having near said other location :an opening above said pat'h to expose a write-in space on the tape, a cover normally closing said opening t0 normally keep said space inaccessible and being movable to an open position, a lockable and manually reciprocable lever linked to said cover for moving it to said position, drive means connected with said printing means for actuating the latter, said drive means having a cam shaft and a cam mounted on said shaft, cam follower means engageable with said cam and connected with said lever for actuating it to move said cover to said closed position before actuation of said printing means.

6. A recording device for business machines, comprising tape transport means for longitudinally moving an inscribable recording tape, a printing device having type means and having a printing platen and a platen holder disposed above said type means, said platen being secured to said holder at the underside thereof and said holder being movable downwardly toward said type means to imprint the record tape, said holder having a flat top surface above said platen, said tape transport means having la path of tape travel extending around said holder and passing beneath said platen and over said surface, a housing structure enclosing said tape transport means and said printing device and having an opening above said surface, a cover normally in a closing position in Which said cover closes said opening and movable to an open position to make the tape accessible for inscription through said opening, drive means disposed for operating said printing device and connected with said tape transport means for shifting the last imprint onto said surface, a movable control member linked to said cover for moving it between said positions, and mechanism means connecting said member with said transport means for controlling said transport means to impart advancing movement to the tape when said member moves said cover to said open position whereby a blank write-in space on the tape is placed onto said surface when said cover is in said open position.

ALBERT KLAAR.

References Cited in the i'ile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,344,909 Lederman June 29, 1920 1,494,447 Smith May 20, 1924 1,722,446 Thistlewaite July 30, 1929 1,726,541 Cole Sept. 3, 1929 1,747,397 Shipley Feb. 18, 1930 2,127,652 Placke Aug. 23, 1938 2,151,672 Ammann Mar. 28, 1939 2,215,004 Knox Sept. 17, 1940 2,271,073 Harris Jan. 27, 1942 2,501,080 Nielsen Mar. 21, 1950 2,506,337 Boyden May 2, 1950 

